RPM Racing enters five top vehicles in four classes roaring to challenge for wins at 51st SCORE Baja 500

SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, dominiccnv@aol.com
May 6, 2019
In Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
 

ENSENADA, Baja California, Mexico – Based in Bristol, Tenn., veteran desert motorsports team RPM Racing has entered five high-profile vehicles in four classes as entries continue to escalate for this month’s internationally-televised 51st SCORE Baja 500. Entries from 17 U.S States and two countries are among the first 69 entries for Round 2 of the four-race 2019 SCORE World Desert Championship that will be held May 29-June 2 in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.
Ensenada is a coastal city on the Bahia de Todos Santos area of the Pacific Ocean, 80 miles south of the U.S. border at San Diego.
RPM REVVING UP
RPM Racing, finely tuned by co-owners Clyde Stacy and Justin Matney, have two entries in SCORE Trophy Truck, one in SCORE TT Legend (SCORE Trophy Truck drivers 50 years old and over), one in the unlimited Class 1 and one in Trophy Truck Spec for this year’s SCORE Baja 500.
In SCORE Trophy Truck, the marquee SCORE racing division for high-tech, 950 horsepower, unlimited custom trucks, RPM racers will be Matney, Bristol, Tenn., in the No. 4 Ford Raptor R6 (Geiser Bros built) and Carlos ‘Apdaly’ Lopez, Tecate, Mexico, in the No. 9 Chevy Rally Truck (Geiser) and Stacy, Bristol, Va., in the No. 5L Chevy Rally Truck V16 (Geiser) in SCORE TT Legend.
Derek Fletcher, Abingdon, Va., will be racing in Class 1 in the No. 106 Chevy-powered Tatum open-wheel desert race car.
The fifth RPM entry will be in the Trophy Truck Spec class where Sara Price, Canyon Lake, Calif., will drive solo in the No. 204 Geiser-Chevy.
SHOWTIME
Most the world’s best desert racers will be in action at this year’s celebration of one of the top 10 motorsports events in the entire world. The race will be televised on a delayed basis as a one-hour special on the ABC Network World of X Games programming. Los Angeles’ award-winning BCII TV will provide the production work of the telecast.
Like all SCORE races, it is an elapsed-time race with staggered starts as the green flag on Saturday (June 1) will drop first for the motorcycles and quads at 3:30 a.m. (PDT) and approximately 8 a.m. (PDT) for the cars, trucks and UTVs. The start/finish line area will be at the Lucas Oil Off-Road Stadium in Ensenada.
Over 300 vehicles are expected at the start line with racers from over 30 States and as many as 15 countries anticipated. Long-time SCORE sponsor BFGoodrich Tires has also posted a US$25,000 contingency bonus for the overall 4-wheel winner to help commemorate this year’s race.
ONLINE RACER REGISTRATION
Online registration, by class, for Pro and Sportsman cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads, is ongoing through the SCORE website at http://score-international.com/raceinfo/2019-baja-500/.
Official entries received after the drawing will be given the next available starting position within their respective classes. Online entries will be accepted until 8 p.m. (PDT) on Tuesday, May 21.
18 SCORE TROPHY TRUCKS ALREADY
Among the 69 total early entries to date for this year’s SCORE Baja 500 are 19 in SCORE Trophy Truck, including four in SCORE TT Legend (SCORE Trophy Truck drivers 50 years old and over).
Besides Matney, Lopez and Stacy, also among the early commitments to race in Ensenada are led by defending SCORE Baja 500 race winner Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas (No. 11, Ford F-150), 2019  SCORE San Felipe  250 winner Andy McMillin, San Diego (No. 31, Chevy Silverado).
Also among the SCORE Trophy Truck entries so far are B.J. Baldwin, Las Vegas (No. 97, Toyota Tundra), Bryce Menzies, Las Vegas (No. 7, Ford Raptor), Dan McMillin, San Diego (No. 23, Ford F-150), Luke McMillin, San Diego (No. 83, Ford F-150), brothers Alan, Aaron and Rodrigo Ampudia, Ensenada, Mexico (No. 10, Ford Raptor), Mark Post, Las Vegas/Larry Roeseler, Imperial, Calif. (No. 3, Ford F-150), Scott Bailey, Riverside, Calif./Gustavo Vildosola Sr, Mexicali, Mexico (No. 1L, Ford Raptor), Gary Magness, Denver (No. 45, Ford F-150) and Kevin Thompson, New Braunfels, Texas/Harley Letner, Corona, Calif., (No. 70, Ford Raptor).
SAN FELIPE CLASS WINNERS IN
Besides this year’s SCORE San Felipe 250 overall winner Andy McMillin (SCORE Trophy Truck),  other San Felipe class winners who have already entered the upcoming SCORE Baja 500 are Bailey (SCORE TT Legend), Brad Wilson, Long Beach, Calif. (Class 1—No. 100, Jimco-Chevy), Austin ‘A.J.’ Jones, Litchfield Park, Ariz. (Trophy Truck Spec--No. 279, TSCO-Chevy), Wayne Matlock, Alpine, Calif. (Pro UTV FI—No. 2971, Polaris RZR XP4 Turbo), Freddie Willert, El Cajon, Calif. (SCORE Lite—No. 1206, Jimco-VW), Kristen Matlock, Alpine, Calif. (Pro UTV NA—No. 1954, Polaris RZR XP4 1000) and Jason Trubey, Henderson, Nev. (Pro Moto 40, No. 444x KTM 450XCF).
2018 SEASON CHAMPS BACK
Besides MacCachen (SCORE Trophy Truck), Bailey/Vildosola Sr (SCORE TT Legend) and Brad Wilson (Class 1), other defending 2018 SCORE Class season point champions entered so far are led by defending SCORE Overall and Pro UTV FI (Forced Induction) season champ Wayne Matlock, Casey Currie, Norco, Calif. (Hammer Truck Unltd—No. 4402, Jeep Wrangler) and Kaden Wells, St. George, Utah (Pro UTV NA, No. 1995 Polaris RZR).
ESTERO BEACH S/F
Start/finish line area for this year’s SCORE Baja 500 will be the Lucas Oil Off-Road Stadium on the grounds of the Estero Beach Hotel & Resort, 12.2 miles south of downtown Ensenada. This will mark the first time the race has started at the popular luxury resort.
SCORE has also announced that there will be no admission charge for spectators to view the start and finish of the race from several thousand grandstand seats at the Lucas Oil Off-Road Stadium at Estero Beach. The course will run on nearly one mile of the Lucas Oil track outbound and inbound.
A HAPPENING…
Colorful race week festivities will be expanded to help celebrate another big anniversary of SCORE’s first Baja race.
Chassis inspections will be held on Thursday (May 30) as well as pre-tech/Stella bracket check and installation on Avenida Lopez Mateos in Ensenada.
On Friday evening will be the Monster Energy Papas Y Beer Street Party on Avenida Ruiz from 6 p.m. to 12 midnight.
On-site Racer Registration and Media Registration will be held on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (May 29-31) at the Mayapan Conference Center at the Estero Beach Resort.
Racer registration will be held on Wednesday (May 29) from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. PDT, on Thursday (May 30) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PDT and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday (May 31) with no new entries accepted after 3 p.m. PDT on that day.
Media registration will be held in the Mayapan Conference Center from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. PDT on Wednesday (May 29) and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PDT on both Thursday and Friday (May 30-31).
Friday (May 31) will see the day-long, pre-race Manufacturer’s Midway and contingency festival at the Lucas Oil Off-Road Stadium at Estero Beach. Starting at 8 a.m. contingency row will be held all classes. Tech inspection on that day will also start at 8 a.m. at the end of the manufacturer’s row.
During the race on Saturday, June 1 until the course closes on Sunday morning, June 2, the start/finish line compound at the Lucas Oil Off-Road Stadium at Estero Beach will include the massive double-sided SCOREvision LED screen broadcasting race festivities and start and finish line interviews. Popular Rat Sult will again serve as primary host of the SCORE live streaming.
All of the week’s festivities will be aired both live and same-day including the race, airing via the internet on the SCORE website.
PRE-RUNNING
Official practice, or pre-running, on this year’s official 484-mile race course for this year’s SCORE Baja 500 will begin at 8 a.m. PDT on Saturday, May 18 starting at race mile 30 and finishing at race mile 470. The 28-mile section from the start to Uruapan and back to the finish will be available for pre-running starting at 8 a.m. PDT on Wednesday, May 29 through Friday, May 31 only.
The official SCORE Racer Brief, course map and GPS files will be available by 8 p.m. PDT on Thursday, May 16 on the  SCORE website.
MAIN COURSE
The race will feature a course, when finalized and plotted over the next couple of weeks by SCORE President/Race Director Jose A. Grijalva of approximately 484 miles. It will run in a clockwise direction starting and finishing in the Lucas Oil Off-Road Stadium at the Estero Beach Resort with the first 28 miles out to Uruapan that will be raced outgoing and inbound as well.
When completed, the historic race course will be another memorable example of all that Mexico’s Baja California has to offer, including high-speed dirt trails, sandy, rocky and silty natural terrain, majestic Baja washes and canyons, stretches along the seashore with elevations from sea level to over 4,000 feet. The course will be another jewel reflecting the stark beauty of Baja California.
GRAN HISTORIA
Following last year’s epic celebration of the 50th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 500, this year’s SCORE World Desert Championship includes another special tribute to the iconic SCORE Baja 500 when it is held this year in Ensenada.
The SCORE Baja 500 is one of the top motorsports events in the world. It was started originally in 1969 by the NORRA organization. Mickey Thompson and his SCORE International organization were invited by the Mexican government to take over the event starting in 1974. Sal Fish ran and later owned and produced the SCORE Baja 500 for 39 years until he sold SCORE in December of 2012.
The first Baja 500 organized and produced by SCORE was held on July 26, 1974 as the first of over 150 SCORE Baja races.
Ensenada is the heart and soul of the SCORE Baja 500 as the popular summertime race will start for the 46th time there and finish for the 42nd time there.
In the history of the race, the start and finish line areas have been located in several areas of Ensenada and this year will be the first time the race has either started or finished at Estero Beach.
SCOREscope
2019 SCHEDULE
Here is the four-race 2019 SCORE World Desert Championship and for the fourth consecutive year all races are being held in Baja California, Mexico:
33rd SCORE San Felipe 250, April 3-7, San Felipe, Mexico
51st SCORE Baja 500, May 29-June 2, Ensenada, Mexico
Inaugural Lucerna SCORE Baja 400, Sept. 19-23, Ensenada, Mexico
52nd SCORE Baja 1000, Nov.19-24, Ensenada, Mexico
ABC TV IN 2019
The 2019 SCORE World Desert Championship will be televised on the ABC TV family of networks, marking the first time back on the ABC network since the 1967 and 1968 coverage of the Baja 1000 on ABC’s old Wide World of Sports show.
The one-hour shows on the 33rd SCORE San Felipe 250, 51st SCORE Baja 500 and the 52nd SCORE Baja 1000 will be televised as part of ABC’s World of X Games year-long programming. Presented by SCORE sponsors Monster Energy and BFGoodrich Tires, the ABC World of X Games series profiles iconic action sports figures and also highlights athletes, artists, event previews and recaps.
The inaugural Lucerna SCORE Baja 400 next September will air as a one-hour special on ESPN TV.
All of the SCORE race coverage shows will continue to air internationally in nearly 25 countries in Europe, Asia, Latin America and South America via syndication and ESPN International.
SCORE SPONSORS…
Official SCORE Sponsors: BFGoodrich Tires-Official Tire, Monster Energy-Official Energy Drink, King Shocks-Official Shock Absorber, Polaris RZR-Official UTV, RACELINE Wheels-Official Wheel, VP Racing Fuels-Official Fuel, Lucerna Hotels & Resorts-Official Hotel and official race title sponsor, Wide Open Excursions-Official Arrive and Drive Company, Crystal Bay Casino-Official Casino.
SCORE Official Partners: PCI Race Radios, The Satellite Phone Store.
Additional SCORE Associate Partners: Proturismo Ensenada, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, Mexicali Ayuntamiento, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Cruz Roja Mexicana, Corporate Helicopters.
For more information regarding SCORE, visit the official website of the SCORE World Desert Championship at www.SCOREInternational.com.